Audience
St. Mary's College of MD Musician-in-Residence Brian Ganz will return to the Main Concert Hall of the Dodge Performing Arts Center on Monday, January 27 at 7 pm with a program of rarely heard works of Fryderyk Chopin. He will be joined by superb pianist Alon Goldstein in two works for two pianists, and by Acting Principal Flutist of the National Philharmonic Julietta Curenton in Chopin's only work for flute and piano. The free program will also include Chopin's rarely heard Sonata No. 1 in C minor and four beloved mazurkas of Chopin. For more information call (240) 895-4498.
"I am thrilled to be joined by these wonderful musicians in Chopin gems that so few listeners ever get to hear,” pianist Ganz said recently. “The Variations for one piano 4 hands on a theme by Thomas Moore are absolutely scintillating, the Rondo for two pianos is not only sparklingly virtuosic but also full of Chopin's celebrated lyricism. And the Rossini variations for flute are delightful and charming. I am honored to introduce the St. Mary's College music loving community to these two superb musicians and these rarely heard works."
Rounding out the program will be a short, deeply beautiful variation on a theme from Vincenzo Bellini's opera I Puritani. Chopin's friend and fellow pianist-composer Franz Liszt invited several luminaries of the day to contribute a variation on the theme "Suoni la Tromba" from the opera. Most of the contributions were full of pianistic fireworks and pyrotechnics. Chopin's was characteristically understated in its depth and lyricism.
Ganz has appeared as soloist with such orchestras as the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the National Philharmonic, the Baltimore and the National Symphonies, the City of London Sinfonia, and L’Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo. He has performed in many of the world’s major concert halls and has played under the baton of such conductors as Leonard Slatkin, Mstislav Rostropovich, Pinchas Zukerman, Jerzy Semkow and Yoel Levi. A critic for La Libre Belgique wrote of Ganz’s work: “We don’t have the words to speak of this fabulous musician who lives music with a generous urgency and brings his public into a state of intense joy.”
Alon Goldstein’s artistic vision and innovative programming have made him a favorite with audiences and critics internationally. He made his orchestral debut at the age of 18 with the Israel Philharmonic under the baton of Zubin Mehta. He has since played with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chicago, San Francisco, Baltimore, St. Louis, Dallas, Houston, Vancouver, and Kansas City Symphonies, as well as the London Philharmonic, Philharmonic Radio France, Orchestra National d’Île de France, Beijing Symphony among others. His festival appearances include Gilmore, Santa Fe, Tanglewood, Verbier, and Marlboro, and he has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Kremlin. Alon is the founder and Artistic Director for The Emerald Coast Music Alliance - an organization dedicated to bringing classical music to populations that have less access and means. He is also artistic director of The Distinguished Artists Concert & Lecture Series in Santa Cruz, CA, the Mt. Angel Abbey Bach Festival in Oregon, and the Lieven international piano foundation in Vienna. He is the first Peabody alumni to receive the “society of scholars” award from the John Hopkins university, where he studied under the legendary musician Leon Fleisher.
Known for her “bold and dramatically characterized playing” (Dallas Morning News), “great artistic sense” and “tone that draws in one’s ear with sounds and ideas that simply cannot be resisted,” (Philadelphia Inquirer) Julietta Curenton has established herself as a leading flute soloist, chamber and orchestral player, professor and clinician. Dr. Curenton won Premiere Prix at the Journées de les Harpes Competition in Arles, France and first prize at the National Flute Association young artist competition and Astral Artists’ national auditions. She has made several solo guest appearances with The National Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, The Kennedy Center Institute Orchestra, Temple University Orchestra, Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra and others. Most recently, she performed the New York premiere of Dr. James Lee III’s evocative flute concerto, “Niiji Memories” with the Stony Brook University Symphony Orchestra.
Curenton has collaborated extensively with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Imani Winds, JACK quartet and the Ritz Chamber Players at the Shanghai Contemporary Music Festival, Beijing Modern Music Festival, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Chamber Music Northwest, Dallas Chamber Music Society, Mostly Mozart Festival of Lincoln Center, among others. Curenton has been the principal player for American Composers Orchestra in New York City and the Soulful Symphony - a Baltimore based ensemble acclaimed for its performances of classical, jazz, gospel and popular music. Curenton is currently the acting principal flautist of the National Philharmonic, ensemble-in-residence at Strathmore Hall in Bethesda, Maryland.